FAITH NO MORE

Alternative Metal / Funk Metal • United States

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Faith No More are an alternative metal group that formed in San Francisco, California in 1982. Their music combines elements of heavy metal, funk, hardcore punk, progressive, soul, hip hop, and jazz, among many others. Their sound is influenced by Eric Burdon, Killing Joke and Frank Zappa, among many others.

Faith No More formed in 1982 out of the ashes of Faith No Man, a band formed and headed by Mike "The Man" Morris. Roddy Bottum, Mike Bordin, and Billy Gould, all ex-Faith No Man members, decided they wanted rid of him, and rather than firing him, all three quit. They changed their name to Faith No More at the suggestion of a friend (as "The Man" was no more). After cycling through a few guitarists, the members recruited Jim Martin. A number of singers passed through, including a brief stint by Courtney Love. Chuck Mosley became the full timeread more...

FAITH NO MORE Reviews

Although INTRODUCE YOURSELF is often considered the first album from FAITH NO MORE, it is in fact the second album after “We Care A Lot”. Since the first album was sorta written off this one was treated as if it were the debut album mostly because of production value. This was the last album with Chuck Mosley as the lead singer before Mike Patton would take the helm and lead the band into not only brief commercial success but also into the realms of avant-garde alternative metal scene. The band pretty much continue their funk metal sound as experienced on the true debut album.

“Faster Disco” starts off setting the pace of the album. It contains the now famous guitar work of Jim Martin with bassist Billy Gould in cahoots with drummer Mike Bordin. The atmospheric contributions of Roddy Bottum add that extra familiar layer to the mix. I still find Mosley’s vocals to be a little monosonatic and personally wish he had a little more range to his box vox. “Anne’s Song’ is a nice little metal funky rocker that sets the mood for the following track order but unfortunately this track basically rips off the bass line and vocal style of the top 10 Billboard funk pop single “Rumors” by the Timex Social Club that hit the charts a year earlier however adds a bit more metal power chord mojo behind it.

The title track is pretty cool as it takes the formula and adds some oomph to make it highly aggressive and addictive at the same time. Short but sweet. “Chinese Arithmatic” continues the sound of the band and hints towards the next album in its atmospheric alternative metal approach that Mike Patton would seize to take into higher realms. “Death March” particularly sticks out as an antecedent to the following album with the song structure and atmospheric approach. “The Crab Song” is a little different with its slow and mellow intro that has Mosley talking before singing but it eventually reaches alternative rock / metal heights with a heavier metal sound and creates a nice funk metal resolution.

I actually like INTRODUCE YOURSELF more than most. True that Mike Patton jumping on board created a more dynamic sound and all however even though Mosley had a limited vocal range he still is a pleasant listen. The musicians backing him are obviously ready for prime time and there are many moments on this album that will point you directly to “The Real Thing.” Although i do prefer the Mike Patton years to the early renditions of FAITH NO MORE, i still find INTRODUCE YOURSELF a very competent listen. This is a very nice listen and deserves more recognition than merely as the beginning stages of the FAITH NO MORE world where Mike Patton steals the show. The only problem i really have with this album is the fact that “We Care A Lot” appears again after the debut album and that “Annie’s Song” pretty much was stolen from the Timex Social Club’s hit single.

While pre-Mike Patton era FAITH NO MORE doesn’t get a lot of attention due to the slightly inferior vocal skills and lyrical contributions of original singer Charles Mosley, it should be remembered that all the other members of the band who performed on “The Real Thing” and “Angel’s Dust” are already on board on their 1985 debut WE CARE A LOT. This band formed in San Francisco all the way back in 1979 and after shedding lame names such as Sharp Young Men and FAITH NO Man, finally settled on the more famous moniker. This debut finds the band breaking into the burgeoning funk rock scene emerging in the early 80s but with Jim Martin’s Sabbath inspired metal guitar riffs finds the band entering a much harder musical arena than contemporaries such as Red Hot Chili Peppers.

WE CARE ALOT begins with the super funky bass skills of William Gould with intermittent guitar chord grunge of Jim Martin but immediately displays a whole new element of funk rock turning into metal which includes the spooky atmospheric keyboard additions of band founder Roddy Bottum. This could properly be deemed atmospheric funk punk metal given all the elements on board on this debut. Another definitive attribute of this band from the get go is to exercise freedom of speech with vituperative criticism regarding societal issues affecting the national experience. “The Jungle” follows and displays a post-punk attitude reminding me of Pere Ubu meets new wave for a bit before blossoming into a punk sounding guitar riffage that merges the hardcore guitar with the atmospheric keys flowing together rather seamlessly.

At this stage the music sounds rather similar with the better known releases at times and this is especially true on the instrumental tracks such as “Pills For Breakfast” which sounds suspiciously in the same ball park as “Woodpecker From Mars” from “The Real Thing.” What really separates the first two albums is the contribution of Chuck Mosley on vocals as well as the lyrical content. While i don’t find this debut to be of equal value with the most famous albums of the band’s career, WE CARE A LOT does a competent job of keeping the album interesting from beginning to end. While the tracks change it up enough to keep me entertained, the one true weakness happens to be the vocals skills of Mosley who just didn’t have the multi-dimensional vocal skills to make this rhythmic music shine as FAITH NO MORE’s strength wasn’t with classically gifted instrumentalists doctoring up the songwriting, but rather the duties of the vocalist that milked the melodic potential of the rhythm section. Unfortunately despite a fairly decent debut, the band wouldn’t really take off until Mike Patton took the reigns on their third album. Still though, this album is really a fun listen and should not be ignored.

"Sol Invictus" is the 7th full-length studio album by US alternative metal act Faith No More. The album was released through Reclamation Recordings in May 2015. Faith No More was formed back in 1982, and had their heyday in the late 80s/early- to mid-90s. After riding a wave of success they disbanded in April 1998, but reunited to play select shows in February 2009. Rumours of a new album have been stirring since, and now it´s here. "Sol Invictus" features the same lineup who recorded their last album "Album Of The Year (1997)". Mike Patton (vocals), Mike Bordin (drums), Roddy Bottum (keyboards, vocals), Billy Gould (bass), Jon Hudson (guitar).

Faith No More was always an unpredictable size, and none of their previous six albums sound alike (although they all sound unmistakably like Faith No More), so guessing what "Sol Invictus" would sound like before listening to it is almost impossible. At the end of the day the music on "Sol Invictus" is Faith No More to the bone with the well playing rhythm section, the keyboards/pianos, and Mike Patton´s Schizo vocals in front. It´s for the most part a rather mellow and more rock than metal oriented release, and I do miss a few more hard rocking moments during the album´s playing time. It sometimes becomes a bit too repetitive and some tracks feel like they aren´t going anywhere, and a few lack memorable hooks. On the other hand tracks like "Sunny Side Up" and "Motherfucker" both feature infectiously catchy choruses, and to my ears that´s when Faith No More are best. When the music just go on and on repeating the same riffs and structures over and over again while Patton rambles/talks, sings on top I´m not as entertained. In that regard they haven´t developed much since "Album Of The Year (1997)".

For the most part it does sound slightly uninspired, but the album is saved by a professional sounding production, high level musicianship, and the fact that Faith No More still sounds original. There´s just no one like them out there. While my blood doesn´t exactly boil when listening to "Sol Invictus", and I´m sometimes disappointed about the songwriting, it´s still a quality release on many parameters and it is a grower too, so I´d recommend giving it more than a few listens before passing judgement. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

It’s been a long 18 year gap between FAITH NO MORE’s previous album “Album Of The Year” and finally in 2015 with the same exact lineup they release SOL INVICTUS (Unconquered Sun in Latin). That means that any children conceived at the time of the last album’s release can now vote! AND could have conceived on their own allowing lover’s of the last album to be grandparents now. Really did i have to paint it in those temporal aspects? Well, time flies. First of all, the lineup for the last album is exactly the same. It is: Mike Patton (vocals), Jon Hudson (guitar), Billy Gould (bass), Roddy Bottum (keyboards), Mike Bordin (drums).

Right from the get go you can hear that this band wants to differentiate themselves from the past. “Album Of The Year” begins with most abrasive cacophonic brashness “Collision” showing no mercy for ear drums or sensibilities alike but SOL INVICTUS begins in the most opposite of spins with a piano driven ballad that comprises the title track. Not my favorite way of beginning an album but redeemed by being followed with the best song on the album “Superhero” which finds the band excelling at their take of alternative metal and rap rockin’ the freakin’ world with every aspect of what made them great in the 90s. Unfortunately this track is a one shot and although the rest of the album has some great tracks, none reach the heights of this one where metal meets alternative rock and reaches that special happy place. Other highlights are “Motherfucker” and “Separation Anxiety” for me, but there are many tracks that have appeal.

As with previous albums FAITH NO MORE exceeds at keeping a highly melodic aspect to their version of alternative metal. With Roddy Bottum’s excellent keyboard skills that seem to be the foundation of this band’s sound aligned with Mike Patton’s eccentric vocals, the rest of the band can only fall in line and provide supporting scaffolding to the whole musical process. Melodies are strong on SOL INVICTUS and the performances are just as strong. What is lacking for me here is the exciting diversity of ideas that are present on past FNM albums. It is the songwriting aspect that is slightly lower here as well as the fact that the metal aspect has been dialed down a bit. Not a bad album for all the previous qualities are present but this album fails in keeping the overall listener’s interest engaged as in the height of their career. Still though, this album has plenty of worthy tracks to keep me enthralled despite not usurping their 90s heyday. A veritable comeback by one of my favorite alternative metal rockers from the 90s. This album may not be perfect but will not disappoint hardcore fans.

There are many different versions of this single, among them two different coloured versions, a blue one and a green one, both of which contain an unreleased b-side from King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime.

I am reviewing the blue version. The title track "Digging the Grave" is one of the weaker songs from King for a Day, and sounds like some Ramones worship done badly, although to be fair it is a little bit catchy. The song only available on this single "Absolute Zero" is a great synth heavy alterna-metal song. The two album tracks on this single "Ugly in the Morning" and "Cuckoo for Caca" are two of the best songs from King for a Day, both very heavy with some hilarious scat vocals from Patton (later copied by countless garbage nu metal singers).

FAITH NO MORE Movies Reviews

The Brixton Academy show captures the band in 1990, just as they were beginning to explode in an “Epic” fashion. Supporting their 1989 release “The Real Thing”, the setlist contains all but “Surprise! You’re Dead!” and “The Morning After” from that album. Two tracks from the pre-Patton era are performed “As The Worm Turns” and “We Care A Lot”, both of which are a good fit with Patton’s voice. This concert is well shot, and the band performs great. It makes me wish for a more extended Faith No More show to be released in the future.

The other part of the package is mainly to showcase their promotional videos. Music video compilations aren’t normally my cup of tea, but at least they integrate some other things into the mix to keep it interesting. You get snippets of interviews, behind the scenes footage, and outtakes to bridge some of the music videos. The music videos span going all the way to the Chuck Mosely days through to Album of the Year, ranging in quality to low budget/amateur rank (“Everything’s Ruined”, the Mosely era ones) to great production values (“Stripsearch”). However, I believe there are some official videos missing from the collection (“Ricochet” comes to mind). I guess having “Greatest Videos” in the title covers their a$$es in that regard.

This is a great package for those new to Faith No More, and it has strong re-play value.